


appetence

by leonathelion



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: Catherine is good mum, Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I never proofread and I'm not starting now, six queens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:42:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24519397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leonathelion/pseuds/leonathelion
Summary: (n.)  an eager desire, an instinctive inclination, an attraction or natural bondI’ve always found it odd that most Six fans put Jane and Kat together in a mother/daughter relationship. Not that I don’t enjoy reading it, because I do, but I think it would make more sense to have Aragon fill that role. After all, she was on the only one to raise a teenaged/young woman. And I think their dynamic would work better.Also I bloody hate the ending, but I couldn’t make it work. idk
Relationships: Anne of Cleves & Katherine Howard, Catherine of Aragon & Katherine Howard
Comments: 11
Kudos: 89





	appetence

Catherine of Aragon sometimes found it hard to look at Katherine Howard. It had been a week since the final two wives of Henry the Eighth had appeared in the twenty-first century, and the youngest of the two was clearly struggling. She clung onto Anna, not that the German queen minded. She preferred the stay in her room. It was clear that she couldn’t sleep at night. And the thick scar around her neck was a prominent reminder of how unjustly short her life was. 

But Catherine also found it hard to look at the girl and not see her Mary. Obviously there were quite a few differences, their physical appearances the main one. Mary had only been a handful of years old than Kat when Catherine died, and prior to that her memory was a bit fuzzy. It was easy for her to look at Kat, snuggled into Anna’s side with a book on her lap and see her Mary around the same age and learning and reading everything she could get her hands on. 

Kat had convinced Anna to sleep in her own bedroom for the night, rather than the youngest queen’s. She promised to come get her if she had a nightmare and reluctantly, Anna kissed her forehead, bid her goodnight, and went to her own room. 

Catherine hadn’t been asleep, so she was the first to hear whimpers and cries from the youngest queen’s room. She internally debated with herself about going to see her, wondering if it was better to wait until she went Anna, or someone else woke up. But when Kat gave one particularly heart-wrenching whimper, she made her mind up. 

“Katherine.” She called softly. 

“Can I come in?” There was no answer, so Catherine made her way in anyway. 

Kat was curled in a ball on her side, gripping the sheets and blankets in her fists. She flinched when Catherine sat on the edge of her bed. 

“Kat _querida_ , you need to wake up.” Catherine didn’t dare lay a hand on her, knowing she would only react badly. She settled for sitting at her side and calling her name. 

Finally, Kat lifted her head, blinking tears from her eyelashes. She peered through the dark, the only light coming from the nightlight plugged in the wall and the hallway light coming from the open door. 

“Katherine love, can you tell me where you are?” She knew that voice. That was Catherine, the older Catherine. The one that made her tea and sat in the garden with her. 

“In the house.” Kat hated how shaky her voice was. 

“Mhm. Can I touch you?” Kat nodded. A damp cloth was run across her forehead and the tears wiped off her cheeks. 

“Do you want to talk?” Catherine murmured, setting aside the flannel and tucking a loose strand of hair behind Kat’s ear. The girl shook her head, leaning into her touch. Gently, Catherine scooted the girl further into the bed and pulled her in a hug. Kat latched onto her, tucking her face in the junction of her neck and shoulder and sighed. 

Catherine hadn’t realized she fell asleep, cuddled up with Kat at her side. 

Anna woke the two up the next morning, an unreadable expression on her face. 

“Cathy’s wondering where you are. She said the two of you were going to church.” Catherine’s eyes flew open and she tried to sit up. Kat whined and clutched on tighter. 

“Here. Switch.” Anna took Catherine’s place as the Spainard rushed to get ready. 

There was breakfast saved for the two Catherine’s when they returned, wrapped neatly on plates with bright pink sticky notes denoting whose was whose. 

Kat was in the garden, watching Jane plant the batch of flowers she’d bought earlier. She was curled in a lounge chair, one of Anna’s sweaters wrapped around her shoulders. She gave Catherine a shy smile. 

“Good morning, querida. Did you sleep better last night?” Catherine took a seat next to the girl. Katherine nodded. 

“I’m sorry for waking you.” Catherine waved a hand. 

“I was already awake. And I would rather be woken up than have you distressed.” She gently pinched her cheek. Kat blushed, tucking her chin and smile under her collar. 

Anna and Anne returned from their jaunt to the mall, Anne’s giggles from Anna’s joke dying out when she saw the two on the couch in the living room. Catherine was reading, her legs stretched out on the ottoman. Lying on the rest of the couch was Kat, her head in Catherine’s lap. Catherine had her fingers tangled in Kat’s long hair and was gently scratching her scalp.

“Did you two have fun?” Catherine kept her voice soft. Anne had disappeared, leaving Anna to answer. 

“Yeah.” She collapsed on one of the armchairs. She had the same unreadable expression on her face as she did when she woke the two up this morning. 

“What’s your end goal here?” Catherine looked up, her brow creased. 

“My what?” Anna gestured to the teenager sleeping on her lap. 

“What is your deal with Kitty?” 

“I don’t have a deal. Why do you ask?” Anna sighed and ran a hand through her short hair. 

“Forgive me, but Kat has been hurt by nearly every adult in her life. So I’m a bit protective of her.” And just like that, Catherine understood. 

“I don’t have any malicious intentions.” She started quietly. 

“She reminds me of my Mary, and if I am being honest, I miss having someone to take care of.” And like that, Anna’s switch flipped. She stood up with a grin. 

“Good. Lord only knows Kat could use someone like you.”

Upstairs, Anna rapped on Anne’s bedroom door. There was something wrong with the second queen, and Anna decided to find out what. 

“What?” Anne grumbled, unlocking and opening her door and staring up at Anna. 

“What’s your issue?” Anna invited herself in and flopped on the bed. Anne stayed quiet, but Anna knew she would talk. 

“Why is Kitty scared of me?” She finally blurted out. 

“She’s no-” 

“She is! She won’t even look at me! And now she’s cuddled up with Aragon of all people!” Anna exhaled slowly. 

“She’s...not scared of you.” Anna stared at the ceiling. 

“But the rest of the Howards cast her off without a second thought after pushing her to marry Hen-er, _him,_ for their own gain. So it’s not really about you, but about the rest of her shared family. And Catherine isn’t going to hurt Kit.” With a groan, Anne covered her face with her hands, rolled over, but rolled too far and landed on the hardwood with a thump. Anna couldn’t help but burst out into bright laughter. 

-

For the next two days, Anna and Catherine had a Kat shaped shadow following them when Kat wasn’t latched on. Neither minded, the weather hadn’t been fantastic and prompted the queens to stay in and be lazy. 

Catherine and Jane had found a common interest, trashy UK tv. Currently, they were binging _The Great British Bake-Off_. Catherine had a pink-clad lump at her side, the teenager entranced by something on her phone, her earbuds in. 

“You two are getting close.” Jane mentioned during the commercial break, looking over with a soft smile. Catherine sighed to hide a smile and looked down. Kat looked up when Catherine brushed her fingers against her cheek and smiled, just a tiny bit.

Anne finally managed to catch her cousin alone when Kat was in the kitchen making herself a snack. 

“Can we talk?” Kat jumped and whirled around. 

“Sorry.” Anne offered. She sat at the table. Kat abandoned her celery and peanut butter and took a cautious seat across from Anne.

Anne played with her hands as she tried to find the right words.   
  


“Um, I know we didn’t know each other before this,” She waved a hand around. 

“But uh, I never really got along with our family. They kinda did the same thing to me that they did to you.” Kat tilted her head. 

“Like, make me go to the court and shit to make them better!” Anne hurried out. 

“They didn’t give you a choice?” Kat asked, her voice small. 

“Nah. Not really. Howards in general are kinda shit people. Present company excluded, of course.” Anne scratched the back of her head and internally fist-bumped when Kat let out a tiny giggle. 

“I guess that’s good to know.” Kat said once she reigned in her giggles. “Um, that you’re not like them.” Anne grinned. 

“Nah bro, I’m so much worse. I cannot wait to show you all the stupid shit this century has.” Kat looked a mix between terrified and excited, much to Anne’s amusement. 

A few nights later, after a whirlwind of Anne and her ‘ideas’, Kat found herself restless and on edge. She couldn’t explain why. Rolling out of bed, and wincing when her door creaked out, she padded down the hall. 

Catherine had been scrolling through her phone when there was a tentative knocking at her door. 

“Come in!” She called. 

Kat peeked her head in, looking nervous. 

“Come here, _querida_.”

Kat tiptoed in, clutching the soft pink blanket Anna had gotten her to her chest. 

“Sorry!” She squeaked.

“I don’t know why I came here and-” 

“It’s fine, Kat. Come here.” Catherine patted the space on her king-sized bed and chuckled when Kat wriggled her way on. 

“I think you needed a hug.” Catherine wrapped her arms around the girl and rested her chin on the top of her head. Kat hummed in agreement and closed her eyes. She couldn’t exactly explain it, but Catherine felt safe. And she gave really good hugs!

Katherine wasn’t Mary. Catherine still found it hard to look at the girl and see what she missed, but when Kat gave her one of her shy little smiles or burrowed under her arm for cuddles, Catherine had to admit it made her feel better.

  
  



End file.
